Cold weather takes its toll on car batteries

The cold weather has caught a lot of motorists who didn't winterize their cars off guard.

AAA Allied Group says the number of calls for service were up 25 percent Saturday as temperatures hovered in the mid-20's.

"We brought in more crews to respond to calls that came in as early as 5:30 this morning and by 9:30 we had 25 crews out on the road to respond to those calls. Most the calls are due to dead batteries....you know we've been spoiled. It hasn't been so cold this winter," said Cheryl Parker with AAA.

Parker says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

"Since it hasn't been so cold many motorists may have gotten out of the habit of getting their car winter ready and cold weather ready so you want to make sure that, especially if you go to start your car and its slow to start that you get it checked because it's a pretty good indication that your battery is weak and a weak battery will not do well in these cold temperatures," Parker said.

It's a good idea to prepare yourself for emergencies by carrying jumper cables, gloves, a flashlight, a shovel, blanket and a fully charged cell phone.

Parker says motorists should keep their vehicles road ready.

"You want to make sure that you're not driving around with low fuel, your fuel line could freeze up. Make sure your tire pressure is where it should be because cold weather can wreck havoc on your tires as well," she said.